Home

Page

Welcome to Bluegrace Portuguese Water Dogs.

 

Just drop me a note and check current availability of pups.  I average one litter a year these days.  It’s important that if possible, you come to meet me and all the dogs.  So let’s do this on a mutually agreeable day when the weather is good.  I want you to get your head around this.

I have puppies available now!

These puppies are just a delight. They are $4000 and this includes C3 vax, C5 vax, chipping, desexing, and 3 different vet checks from 2, usually 3 different vets. This also includes life time breeder support, and a comprehensive health guarantee. My pups don’t leave me until 10-12 weeks of age (sometimes older) as I find this age leads to much better behaviour in the pups and a much better experience with the humans.

Latest pics can be seen on my facebook site, and you can also contact me through there: Just click

here

Give me a call on 0412 113 824 – although easier if you text as often my phone isn’t on me, and we can liaise from there.
 


Detail of the breed and puppy availability:

This is an ancient breed of historical significance.  As an owner you have a responsibility for the future of this breed.  Do you think you can do it?  Challenge accepted!

How many times will you throw the ball for Gingernuts?

Gingernuts, a 3 year old Portuguese Water Dog, multi generation Bluegrace dog, prepares to enthusiastically enter the water. Again.

Vic Govt PER #:  BR102201



The Portuguese Water Dog is a rare breed in Australia.    Pups are $4000.  (If you require airport drop off, there is a small fee payable.)  These are brown puppies.  Some may have  small amount of white on the chest and/or toes.   

With the weather now cooling off, and with vaccination rates high, we are now having visitors to site.  Yippee!  but you must have done your homework first.

I would like everyone who I think meets my criteria to visit. We are about 2 hours north of Melbourne. You’ll find more info on this further down.

The price of the pups includes desexing, microchipping, C3 vax, C5 vax, and 3 vet checks.  This will also include any umbilical hernia repairs (rare, but does happen and small ones may be left completely – either unseen, or considered not worth the tiny risk of removing), and any rear due claw removal  (even rarer, but does happen) – both done by vet of course.     

If we are in Covid restrictions at the time they are ready to go, delivery will be available to most Melbourne locations for about $200. I will be able to send pups to interstate and overseas locations. It’s important you, as an owner, has a lot of common sense and is easy to liaise with.

I will not ship overseas unless you have firstly obtained a quote for travel costs directly from a pet travel agent, and sent through that quote to me.  (Due to people believing that it should cost about the same as a small parcel to send a pup overseas and then blaming me for their lack of research.)  Just as a bit of a head’s up, sending a pup overseas will cost you at least $4000 (paid directly to the pet transport agencies.)   There is nothing I can do to lower these costs, unless I set up my own airline.  If you would like to joint venture such with me, let me know when you can send me 3 billion dollars.

Looking for a therapy dog? Well I’ve got a stack of information for you right here, so make sure you read that before sending me an email, just to make sure we’re on the same page.

If you have emailed me and not heard back, please continue to touch base.

I can’t believe I’m having to post this:  

I will not sell you a pup if you are a “believer” of ANY of the conspiracy theories.  Seriously folks, as the breeder I’m expecting a relationship with you for several years and I will not put up with that nonsense.  So if you believe that cv19 is fake, that it’s “just the flu”, or that the stats are embellished, that 5g is terrible and/or transmits covid (oh god), that the government is going to microchip the masses, anti-maskers, anti-vaxxers, or any of the other outlandish things, please go somewhere else.   I want to place my pups with smart, sensible people who want to look out for each other in our community.

Bluegrace, curly brown Portuguese Water Dog

One of our pups from earlier in 2020

 

Portuguese Water Dog, pup, Bluegrace, Toolleen, Jane Anderson

Is there a mountain bike career ahead for this strong pup? We like to introduce our pups to a range of experiences as they grow

Please read this page entirely before emailing me. This page is absolutely comprehensive in explaining how to get a pup.  Because I get so many requests for information from people who have not responded to the questionnaire, it is unusual that I will respond to 2 line emails or people who fill out the questionnaire but don’t think they should send it to me, etc. 

Preference will be given to people with total flexibility when it comes to gender, coat type, and colour.  The more specific you are, the less likely I will be able to help you.  The priority is getting the right pup in the right home.  That being said, if you want a specific look and gender, stick with your position, and let me know that.  (but less likely I can/will help with that).  

Looking for some social media about the Portuguese Water Dog (don’t call it a portie! and definitely never ever use the term “fur baby”), check here:  A better pwd worldly group

You can also find me on instagram, but those posts and vids are mixed with my triathlon stuff, so there’s lots of sweat and swearing in that stuff, so don’t blame me if it’s not all “on topic” for you!

The most popular pages:

How the pups are raised here – a really long and worthwhile read

Preparing for your new puppy – if you’re getting one of my pups, this is the required reading.  So many tips to help you get ready.

Floyd the Portuguese Water Dog from Bluegrace.

The magnificent Floyd, one of our lovely dogs who lives with Rebecca east of Melbourne

So let’s go:

Based north of Melbourne, Australia, we have been involved in this breed since 1997.  There are a number of pages to explore here, and for those of you interested in getting involved with the breed, we are enthusiasts happy to meet with you, share our knowledge, and show you our dogs.  And if you do visit, if you’ve been able to read through all or most of this website, that will give us a big step up on our discussions.

We have had a large number of enquiries for pups and I am starting to work my way through these.  You will need to join the waiting list if you’d like one of these fabulous puppies.   Prices start from $4000 and includes desexing and C5 package to make them ready to go at 12 weeks.   $6000 for “pick of the litter” with the caveat being that this pup has the temperament you need plus there are no unrealistic demands for what you expect of the puppy or me! (eg: I need you to guarantee this pup is suitable as a therapy dog. Note: we do not sell dogs as therapy dogs.)    The price includes C3 vaccination, C5 vaccination, desexing, microchipping, 3 year health guarantee, and lifetime breeder support.  Our next litter is expected to be all brown. Some may have a little white.   (Scroll down this page to get to the questionnaire if you want a pup, and send your answers back to me.  I can’t proceed unless I have those answers.)

This is another lovely pup (sorry not for sale):

Brown and white Portuguese Water dog pup being held by Jane Anderson, Bluegrace

I think we’re going to call this girl Twist. She looks amazing

Sorry decent folks, because of the never ending phone calls and text before breakfast, during dinner, and late into the night from people too rude and uncaring to assume I need sleep and family time, I’ve removed my phone numbers from this site.  To contact me about puppy availability, please email me at jane@bluegrace.com and I will get back to you when I’m next back in the office and checking my computer (I don’t get emails to my phone for this reason.)   The other way to get hold of me is via facebook:  www.facebook.com/jane.anderson.dogs  – and if my email is not working, which has happened recently, you can get me via that page.  or on insta. 

Check out this little vid below of one of my puppies at 3 days old whose mum had just gone outside for a quick toilet stop and she thought things were tough!

If you’d like to receive my information pack as part of your education process, please feel free to touch base with me asap via email is usually best:  jane@bluegrace.com (The other way to get hold of me is via facebook:  www.facebook.com/jane.anderson.dogs  – and if my email is not working, which has happened recently, you can get me via that page.  or on insta. )  – There’s a questionnaire about half way down this page which I’d encourage you to discuss with family members, jot your answers down and send me an email with your thoughts.  Then we can better assess if I’m the right breeder for you.

You can also find us on mewe (as many pet facebook pages are being closed down by facebook).  So check us out here

Please read on so you can get all the info and instructions for how to contact us and what information you need to provide.  Remember, this breed is not for everyone.  It’s active.  Very active!  And smart.

Quick note:  The vast majority of people (and local councils!) will recommend that your dog has excellent fencing.   It is also strongly recommended that your dog is on leash or behind a very good fence in the presence of livestock, inc horses, sheep, cows, alpacas, elephants, giraffes, etc.  Do not expect that a dog, regardless of breed or your good intention, will be safe off lead in such situations.  A hoof to the head is a dead dog, and only takes one second.  If this doesn’t suit your vision or lifestyle, now is not the time to get a dog, and you’d be best not to contact me further.  It’s what I like to describe as a “show stopper”.

Here are some of my dogs:

mytribe1jul2018

Baby Pearl at Bluegrace

In the dam!

 

 

Our puppies shortly after birth:

51782154_2254761634563270_4407257124304846848_o

You’ll be taking advantage of our extensive experience in the breed to determine what is going to best suit you over the long term, not just the one “with cute white feet” because that will impress your friends (Pro tip:  white bits knot/matt a whole lot easier and always show the dirt – so you’d better be ready for a whole lot more grooming).  And there will be no selection of puppies based on someone sitting down amongst pups and waiting for the pup to “choose them”.  I am quite disturbed that not only do people think this is a correct way to select a puppy, but that breeders allow this.

(If this doesn’t make sense, think of the game “spin the bottle”.  Based on complete randomness plus probably some alcohol, you then get your life partner chosen for you!  If this sounds silly, then you’ll easily agree that a whole lot of thought and experience and discussion takes place to determine the appropriate puppy for you.)

Both our litters earlier from last year were fully reserved before they were born.

Say hi to this cute little guy.  This was taken about 20 mins after he was born, who went to a home with another of our Portuguese Water Dogs.  He’s fantastic and a real water baby.

brownbabyboyAugust2017

 

I would highly recommend you touch base shortly so that we can work together to see if I am the right breeder for you and if I think you can handle this very energetic and messy breed.

Our pups are reasonably priced starting from $4000. Generally pups are not available to breed from unless you join our mentorship program.  We do not release the pups until 12 weeks of age, and that price includes both the C3 and C5 vaccination at the appropriate time, chips, and desexing.  Our pups are not available undesexed unless you are intending to show the dog or are running it on for me as a potential breeding dog (which is really rare).

They will be very energetic & messy working dogs, suitable for people who can and will dedicate the time to training who want an amazing dog, and who know that you get this by doing a lot of work, rather than a magic wand.

Email me at:  jane@bluegrace.com   (The other way to get hold of me is via facebook:  www.facebook.com/jane.anderson.dogs  – and if my email is not working, which has happened recently, you can get me via that page.  or on insta. )   letting me know a bit about you (tbh, I’m going to know more than just a bit, so fill out our questionnaire on this page) and we can go from there.

Visiting me:  We will continue to limit visits to those who are going to get pups, rather than just having an open door approach so everyone can come through.  Apart from the fact I just don’t have the time (I work 7 days a week and have a heavy training schedule), it also limits covid risks.

If I am able to schedule a visit, we need to practice strict covid19 social distancing.  So we’ll need to keep minimum 2m distance from each other, plus wash hands thoroughly on arrival and departure.  There will be no access to toilets, or inside (we normally don’t go inside in any case. I want you to see action, not cute calm dogs sitting in a crate or lazing about on a grooming table – this is not what the breed is about). Please wear appropriate clothes for the weather. Also, I’ll open all the gates etc.  You can touch the dogs though. Clearly if you are positive for Covid19 or even recovering, or live with someone with it no matter how mild their symptoms, you are not able to visit because of exposure risk to Jane.  If you’re not sure, then I’m sorry, at this point you cannot visit.  I’d encourage everyone to have the tracking app on their phone.  All visitors will be required to fill out a log of their attendance here with phone number etc.

When you do visit:

Allow a 2 hour each way trip if you’re from Melbourne.  We are north, on the way to Echuca. Allow 45 mins to visit us.  And don’t bring “extras”.  I want to focus on you and your questions – not your friend or relative that would just like a day out in the country.  (There’s some great bakeries in Heathcote, and it’s a lovely town – you can drop them off there on your way through if they insist on coming.)  Please wear old clothes and a hat, and there will be walking involved.    Remember:  if you have allergies you must visit. 

(please think about what time you call me.  If it’s an emergency, please call at any time.  In the last event I did, someone rang and texted me before 9am on a Saturday morning to talk about pups.  I lost my first place podium position because I thought it was an emergency call from work.  You can imagine my reaction.)

What a boy!

This is Spritz, one of our magnificent stud dogs

If you have allergies, you must visit, no exceptions

Brown Portuguese Water Dog called Spritz at Bluegrace

This is Spritz at our property enjoying a late afternoon swim

Making Successful Placements of Dogs:

I want anyone who gets one of my pups to have a wonderful experience with my dogs.  My expectations of people can seem tough, but that’s because of the unrealistic expectations that so many people have of getting a dog, their kids, their greater family, and themselves.  When things fall apart, everyone suffers.

I do not want you to be calling or texting me 40 mins or 40 days after you’ve got your pup to let me know it’s been a mistake.  Yes this has happened.  This will work out a very expensive and sad endeavour for you and your family.  So let’s make sure that doesn’t happen.

 

Questionnaire and Self Evaluation!

Things that are important you let me know about (and check the vid beneath this list):

  • previous dog experience if any
  • who is in the household and ages of kids if any
  • if there are any allergies we need to be aware of
  • who will be responsible for the pup
  • who is in charge of the decision to get a pup – the adults or the kids.  (seriously)
  • your leadership style with your kids (eg:  anything goes, they get to make the decisions, we’re the adults we make the call, we have a strict management style)
  • would you be going to dog obedience classes
  • whose dog would it be
  • what time would you be able to dedicate on a daily or weekly basis to training, education, setting guidelines for the dog
  • Do you have the time, patience, tenacity, willingness, and consistency to train what can seem like a very naughty puppy?    (hint:  this is a really, really, really important point which I need you to think about carefully and be honest about)
  • whether your intention is to train early or wait until the pup is a lot older
  • what research you’ve done on the breed
  • who else you’re contacting about pups
  • where the pup would be sleeping
  • how long the pup would be left alone each day
  • which dog training class would you be going to
  • what attributes you like about the breed
  • what attributes you don’t like about the breed
  • what you want in a puppy
  • what you don’t want in a puppy
  • If you’d like a pup to breed

Also please read this and respond to me:

One of the important aspects to getting one of my dogs is for me to understand exactly what you want in terms of the puppy.
As you’d expect, the more requirements you have, the harder it is for me to place a puppy with you, so you may have an 18month – 2 year wait for a puppy.  Sometimes I may come back to you with, “look I’m really not that this breed will work for you”.
Remember, you’ve got to convince me that you can handle this breed, not say to me (which has happened before) “you tell me why I should get this breed!” .  I won’t be like a used car salesperson trying to get a sale at any cost.
So please send me back a note with your requirements in the order that you think is really what you want.   And be sure to be clear if your requirements are firm.  I only want to place pups with people who are super happy with what I have rather than going away saying “sigh, well I guess I’ll be ok with …..”  That is not going to work for me.
So possible attributes are (keeping in mind, the fussier you are, the less chance I can help you):
  • Colour:  black, brown, black with a little bit of white, brown with a little bit of white, black with lots of white, brown with lots of white
  • Gender:  male or female
  • Coat type:  wavy or curly
  • Size:  tell me if you have specific requirements around size and what that would be.  eg:  some people want super small.  Others don’t care.
  • Temperament:  lazy, quiet, active, super active (please note, if you want lazy or quiet, again I will be unable to help you)
Alternatively, you might tell me that you just want a temperament match and nothing else is important.
I guess realistically at this point, it’s easiest for me and you, if you’re really flexible and just focused on the right temperament.  Those people will absolutely get first preference to a litter as I am currently overwhelmed with inquiries for pups.
If you haven’t visited yet, you will need to, essential if you have allergy issues or not sure if you can handle an active dog.
Please note:  If your requirements change, ie:  right now you just want the right temperament, but after a bit you decide you must have a brown wavy male, you need to contact me asap.  It is more than likely you will be moved far down the puppy list.

 

There are no right or wrong answers.  Ok, yes there are.  Sometimes people call me and tell me they have thoroughly read through the site and researched the breed, and then answer those questions above in a way that I think there’s a difference between reading this website and taking the information on board.

My quest is to ensure as much as possible that you will be a good fit for this breed.  That you will put the time and energy into it.  That this is not just a pup that will be dumped in the back yard once you’re sick of it.  That you will put in the training.  That you can cope with the energy.  That you will not dump the dog for someone else to sort out because you haven’t put the required amount of work in early.

Also:  I will not sell you a pup if you are a “believer” of ANY of the conspiracy theories.  Seriously folks, as the breeder I’m expecting a relationship with you for several years and I will not put up with that nonsense.  So if you believe that cv19 is fake, or that the stats are embellished, that 5g is terrible, that the government is going to microchip the masses, or any of the other outlandish things, please go somewhere else.  

Hidden tips:

So I’m hiding this note down the bottom of the page to see who has read this far.

I only have a limited number of puppies every year.  And sometimes none.  I only have a limited opportunity to see if placing a puppy with you is going to work.  So I use other bits of information to help me make a decision.

eg:  if you ring/message me late at night to tell me how excited you are about getting a puppy (often happens with people not on the list yet), I’m going to block your number.  Messages and phone calls are for emergencies, and unless someone has died, I don’t want to deal with this when I’m sleeping.  If you tell me you had to text/phone me that late because your kids keep bugging you, this just tells me that you can’t manage your kids, and I’m going to assume you can’t manage a puppy.  I’m also going to assume if you get a pup from me, I should expect to get phone calls from you at stupid o’clock every time.

The number of people who contact me who tell me their kids have “done the research” and come up with this breed and recommended it to them is staggering.  Your children are NOT capable of this decision.  They are also NOT capable of training this dog in any way shape or form.  If you suggest this in your discussion with me, or email me and delightedly tell me about your gifted child, I’m more than likely not to respond.  And I’ll tell you why – most people who think their child is gifted, get very upset when you tell them that you, as the adult, have completely unrealistic expectations as to their capabilities around dogs and indeed your knowledge of dogs.  Such statements are one of the best indicators to me that the person is very naive, will require an inordinate amount of work as an owner from me, and has the highest likelihood of giving up a dog early, or worse, handing back a completely untrained dog at 8 months of age.  I write this on the back of having to consult to a family who bought a Lagotta pup who then called me for help (go figure), who then read my website and said, in short, “we’re lovely people, we meant well, we have masters degrees, our kids can never do this!  We can never do this!  You are the first person who has ever said how hard this will be!  You would never have sold to us!  Why can’t everybody be as straight forward as you!”.  They handed back their 9 week old, 4kg puppy, to the breeder the very next day because they couldn’t cope in any way shape or form, even though I gave them a number of strategies to use that could make this work.  (*Note:  I do charge for these consultations, and would prefer to have them prior to people buying a puppy to stop very expensive mistakes from happening.  Mind you, most of the info you need to help make your decision is available here on this website for free.)

I will not sell you a pup that is for your kids.  I will not sell you a pup that is for your sick kid. I will not sell you a puppy if you tell me it’s for a buddy for your kid/s, or for as their new best friend, or as a mate they can grow up with.  Kids have the attention span of a gnat on a good day.  Once that wears off you’ll be straight on the phone wanting to return the pup, and it will be completely untrained and out of control.   And if you use this tactic to try to guilt me into selling you a pup, I will block your number and email address.  I will not sell you a pup that is intended as a gift to your child.  Your emails to me should be around how this is something for yourself.   I sell to adults.  Not children.

And, I don’t care how much research your kids have done. I really don’t.  (and I love kids)  I definitely care how much the adults have done.  I’m not selling to a kid.  I’m selling to an adult, and I expect them to do 99.95% of the work in raising this pup.  This is an adult’s pet.  Not a general “family dog” (which is code for no one actually takes real responsibility.)   When you chose your life partner, did you just get some clueless (sure lovely!) other person to make that decision for you?

That being said I will sell pups to complete “novices”.  Some of my absolute best owners have been people with no dog experiences.  In fact one of my favourite stories is the young couple that rang me when their pup was about 12 months old.  “Jane, we’ve got some feedback for you.”  Oh no I thought, here we go. “We just wanted to tell you it’s not as hard as what you make it seem.”  oh ok, that’s great feedback. What did you do?  “well we just did everything you told us to do and it all worked.”  Yeah.  Perfect.  Do what I tell you to do, and it works.  Trust me, I’ve made so many mistakes over the years, and happy to share them.  Why would I want you to make the same mistakes?

So other tips below:

When you visit, if you bring someone who hits a puppy with their hand or handbag (both have happened), then you will be marched off the property and you won’t be getting a puppy.  This is also the case for kids who are caught pulling the tail or ears of one of the dogs.  Yes this has happened.

If your kids are let loose and just run around my place with no manners, I’m going to assume that you can’t train your kids, and you’re even less likely to train your puppy. Yes this has happened.  More than once.

If it’s a hot summer’s day, and you let your fair hair children get out of the car and you’re not even bothered about hats or sunscreen (even when I bring it to your attention), I’m going to assume that you’ll be even more careless with the health and safety of a puppy.   Yes this has happened more than once.

If it’s 8.30am on the first Sunday of school holidays and you ring me to ask if you can bring the kids up for a day out to meet some puppies, I’m going to say no, and block your number.  As hard as it is to believe, I’m not sitting by the front door hoping and praying that my Sundays will be filled with unexpected visitors.

If you’ve waited until 8pm on a Sunday night to make your first call to talk about the breed, you’d better had first bought us all dinner and dessert, and provided an excellent social occasion before you even mention puppies.  Otherwise, your number will be blocked.

I appreciate the enthusiasm of people.  However, I cannot and will not be on call for anyone to call me/message me 24/7.  I appreciate respect and thought more.  Dogs is my hobby which I take seriously and purposefully but I would like to enjoy more.  I become grumpy quickly when people assume I’m going to be as excited as them to talk dogs to complete strangers until the wee hours each and every day.

Note:  I pretty much discard enquiries from people who just write, “do you have any pups?” or “how much are the pups?”  All that info is right here.  How can I sell anyone a pup that can’t comprehend the very easy to understand info here.

Also if you write to me and say “I’m new to this breed.  Can you tell me everything about it!?”  I’m probably not going to get back to you.  or “I’ve read your website, what else can you tell me?”  Nah, if you’ve got this far and read this, what more do I need to tell you?  How to use google?

Check out these cute pics below. Here’s some neat little tips about the breed, and some insight into what I’m looking for you to think about and the information to provide to me. (I should note that even though I’ve stated all this info, and even produced these tips, people still email me, telling me they’ve read all of this, give me 3 short sentences about themselves and ask “so what else do you need to know?”)

 

 

Unfortunately because of the ridiculous number of text and phone calls I get when I’m sleeping, I’d request that all contact be made with me initially via email at:  jane@bluegrace.com  (The other way to get hold of me is via facebook:  www.facebook.com/jane.anderson.dogs  – and if my email is not working, which has happened recently, you can get me via that page.  or on insta. )  It is important that we work out  if one of these enthusiastic, zest of life characters are the right dog for you.  We welcome you visiting our location and meeting all our dogs and seeing the Portuguese Water Dog in working action after you’ve sent me through your answers to the questionnaire I’ve posted on this page.

(Tip:  weekends are always popular for visits, with more flexibility for us on weekdays.  If driving from Melbourne, allow 2 hours.  If you are late for an appointment, because we have them set back to back, it’s likely we will get you to reschedule, so that you don’t impact the next visitors.  We have to be time freaks because of our completely full schedule for my day to day job. )

 

Is this breed right for you:

  •  having a new pup is like having a new child.  Do you have the time & the inclination for training?
  •  are you prepared to pinky-swear that you and your partner will do all the necessary training, and your kids (if you have any) will not be expected to be responsible for the dog?
  •  is your partner as enthusiastic about a dog as you are?  (we have said “sorry this won’t work” to several people over the years where the partner was clearly not wanting a dog, and sometimes even downright rude to us, and sometimes completely inappropriate with the dogs)
  •  untrained dogs of any breed will quickly become a nuisance.  In this breed, like most others, untrained dog behaviour will result in fence jumping, jumping up on people, nipping, digging holes, ruining furniture, endless barking, failure to recall, etc, etc, etc
  •  if you put the right amount of time and commitment into training early you will have a fantastic dog and everyone will compliment you and wish they had your dog
  •  if you don’t put in the training in the first 6 months, there is little you can do later to correct the situation.  Your breeder nor any trainer does not have a magic wand to fix your dog’s lack of training and subsequent poor behaviours.  And it will cost you thousands of dollars and endless hours work later on if your dog has developed a range of inappropriate behaviours.
  •  if you are having trouble sorting out a time to visit because weekend activities are too much, then it’s probably likely that this is not the right time to get a puppy
  • Is this a dog for your kids?  Yes?  Then I will not sell you a dog.  Dogs should never be gifted to kids.  It never works.  Ever.
  •  just because now isn’t the right time, doesn’t mean that 2-3 years down the track might not be a good time.  Just wait until things are more settled in your life, so that you don’t over-commit yourself.

Another tip: for the love of god, can you please stop calling them “porties”. That’s a colloquial term used to describe portable toilets. It is not an apt name for this breed. It churns my stomach every time I hear it, and means you certainly don’t respect the history of the breed. I don’t care if you’ve seen it on instagram. If need a short cut, “water dogs” is the appropriate term. 

Also, please never refer to dogs as “fur-babies”.  This is a terrible term where the is a link between people using this term and their ability to actually raise a dog appropriately.  And it’s not positive.  Stop using it.  Dogs are not humans with furry coats.  Dogs, unsurprisingly, are very good at being dogs.

 

Check out one of our many videos we’ve got of our puppies


 Today’s training tip:  Regardless of the breed of dog, the earlier you start training your puppy, the easier it is.  Conversely, the longer you leave it to start training, the harder, longer, and more expensive it is to get results.  And sometimes you can’t change those bad behaviours you’ve unfortunately let develop.  And there is no magic wand to fix a dog’s bad behaviours.

If you do not demonstrate an ability or thought process to understand and implement dog training immediately, I will not sell you a puppy.  Sometimes I have to take various bits of information you provide to me to help make that decision.  eg:

  • you have told me that the reason you need to contact me late on a Saturday night to get a puppy is because your kids are bugging you  (Pro tip: I will never sell you a puppy because not only are you happy to public demonstrate you don’t have control of your kids, but you’ve just put their inappropriate request in front of common courtesy.  A poor parenting decision at best.)
  • if you fail to prepare for your trip here (eg:  turning up on a hot summer’s day with your fair headed kids and no hats or sunscreen, like you were instructed.)
  • letting your kids run out of control at my property.  I’ve even had an adult decide to take themselves off to “explore” around the back of my house.  Who does that?  Yep, I should have sent them home straight away and not wasted my time and theirs.
  • an inability to manage your own emotions by texting me very late at night or early in the morning to tell me how excited you are
  • telling me you’ve read this entire site, and then asking me what steps you need to take to get a pup (pro tip:  it’s on the front page.  If you’ve missed that, you haven’t read the site like you said you have.)
  • telling me you’ve read a ton of sites about the breed, and mine, and then give me a shopping list of attributes you want (most of which I can’t promise, or that the breed actually doesn’t have.)
  • telling me you want a dog that won’t chew your furniture.  Most people realise that this is a training and management issue.  It is silly to think I can predict what owners will do in this regard.  If you tell me this, I’ll assume you don’t know diddly squat about dogs and I’m going to have to spend hours/days/weeks teaching the basics to the human
  • telling me that your kid/teenager is going to be responsible for the pup.  I don’t care how gifted or talented you think your child is, I am not selling a dog to a child.  If you think that it is reasonable that your child takes on this responsibility, then I am not the breeder for you.  I sell dogs to adults.
  • putting the dogs looks ahead of temperament (usually you list all the things you want, and the very last thing as an aside is about temperament).
  • many years ago, someone decided when I was distracted getting the dogs organised, to ask my young son exactly the same questions he’d asked me. Yes my young son!  Who does this?  When I found out about this later, I asked the man why he did this?  “Oh I just wanted to check that I’d get the same answer.”  Sigh.  No, I would not sell him a pup of course.  What a weirdo.
  • if you’ve already got one of my dogs and it is a mess because you haven’t done the work although you’ve been advised many times on what to do, I will not sell you another puppy
  • if you’ve previously given up one of your dogs that you’ve gotten from me, and now you want to give it another shot (invariably that dog is returned completely untrained with a plethora of behavioural issues.)
  • also if you tell me that you’ve got experience looking after one of my dogs that belongs to someone else when they go on hols, I’m going to check with them.  I still don’t understand to this day why someone would lie about that.  And I will ring any of my owners if you use their name as leverage to get on my list to check you out.

(if you are viewing this site on a mobile device, the icon at the top left hand corner will allow you to see the full menu choices.)

 

Our new stud dog from Europe has arrived has now completed his health testing with his hips & elbows being great, and having passed his other required genetic testing.  Both of our other stud dogs have similar excellent results in both hip/elbows and available genetic tests. All dogs have been in the show ring, with some attaining multiple championships, whilst others continue in their quest to achieve theirs.   All our girls have been shown in the show ring and we are very choosy about who stays in our breeding program.

Quick note before we go any further:  We only recommend positive reinforcement training to be used with our puppies.  There is to be absolutely no “submission training”, no forcing a puppy to the ground for 30 mins to be growled at when it moves.  We are horrified to discover that anyone could ever recommend such a process.  I am sure you are smart enough to work out why this is such an abhorrent method which was wrong when it was first suggested in a backwater many years ago, and is still wrong today. 

Forcing a dog to submit will neither fix aggression issues or fear issues and is more than likely to make them a lot worse.  

It will take you about 5 nano seconds to find on the internet wonderful free resources to help train your dog in a positive and responsible manner, and feel free to ask me for help.

Check what training protocols any breeder of any breed recommends in the early stages before you commit to purchasing a puppy.

Note:  I recently had the opportunity to meet with a dog raised with this technique listed above.  It was one of the most “broken” and “confused” dogs I’d ever met.  After initially wanting to rip my throat out, I was able to gain its confidence (over several days), but the next moment, it went back to wanting to rip my throat out.  This dog can never be “fixed” and will have a lifetime of anguish.  Its owners are lovely people and have completely refused to enact the “training” protocol described above as detailed in writing by the breeder.

 

The Portuguese Water Dog is: intelligent, non-shedding, hypo-allergenic, and medium sized working dog…. just like a life partner should be.

The Portuguese Water Dog was used as a working dog with the Portuguese fisherman, where it took out nets, carried messages between boats, picked up items accidentally dropped overboard, and protected the catch and the boats.  As such, it is a true working dog, which can fit in well to many situations – as long as the work is put in early by the owners to have a well behaved and managed dog.

They do required twice daily exercise sessions for their entire life.  What a wonderful way to help keep both dog and human in shape!

fun dec 14

Our dogs are involved in conformation showing, obedience, agility, school visits, endurance tests, herding, and flyball, and make wonderful companions to homes that can meet their exercise and discipline needs.

And what does Jane do when she’s not focused on the dogs? Well she puts a lot of determination and commitment into her running, and dog shows will just have to take a back seat whilst Jane gains ground in the marathon and triathlon arenas:

mcivortimesmarch16

Please note, because of superior behavioural outcomes, we now only let our puppies go at 12 weeks of age. Those extra 4 weeks at home particularly developing appropriate behaviours make all the difference.

(Please note because of the unmanageable amount of spam being received through the contacts form and comments sections of this site, they have now been closed.  If you wish to contact me, please do so via email or phone.)

A Bluegrace dog who resides in New Zealand

A Bluegrace dog who resides in New Zealand

 

We invite you to visit our home, just north of Melbourne, where you can see our comprehensive program for our water dogs, and meet the puppies that we currently have available for the right homes.Please note, the Portuguese Water Dog needs a home where there are exercise opportunities both morning and night, where an adult in the household is responsible for the dog, and where the adult can attend dog training for at least the first year of the pup’s life.We have developed extensive literature, training material, and advice with an excellent support network to help you grow your pup into a wonderful adult dog. Time and dedication is needed to help create the best water dog for your situation.Yes we have puppies available, but we want people to take their time in making a decision to ensure that not only is this the right breed for them, but also, critically, that I am the right breeder for you.

 

The Portuguese Water Dog is: intelligent, non-shedding, hypo-allergenic, and medium sized working dog…. just like a life partner should be.

 

Please contact Dogs Victoria on email: office@dogsvictoria.org.au to verify my membership

13 thoughts on “Home

  1. Ge

    Having trouble getting on your raw diet email list, for helpful information. Please put me on your emailing’s. I am a proud owner of a Maremma. She likes Raw meat and Bones.

    thank You

  2. Kristina

    I am contacting you from Croatia. My family decided to have a dog. We are very interested in Portuguese Water Dog. Can you please advise when do you expect to have new puppies and what would be their prices?
    Thank you very much in advance.
    Best regards,
    Kristina.

    • Jane

      Hi Kristina, thanks for your enquiry. There are many lovely Portuguese Water Dogs in different parts of Europe. You might want to try closer to home first as it is very expensive to ship a dog from Australia.

      all the best

      Jane

  3. Jo Asquith

    I am interested in a Portuguese Water Dog and have done a deal of research. We live on the water and are a very active family. Our home has a small but reasonable yard but lots of walking areas and beach around our place. We would be looking at around August to have a puppy.

    We are willing to put time into training as our dog would need to be well trained in the many leash free areas we would go to.

    We are at work 7-8 hours a day four days a week but the dog would have access to the whole house and yard during that time. The other day, we intend to take the dog to doggie day care for socialisation.

    We are in far north Queensland but could consider coming to Victoria to meet with you. Could you let me know about cost.

  4. Chris Pollard

    Hi, we are interested in meeting you with a view to acquiring a puppy. My husband and I are in our 50s and live in Malvern East with our three adult children in their 20s. We have a four year old Airedale terrier and lost our much loved Bichon / Poodle aged 10, last week. None of us, especially the Airedale, like being in a single dog household. My daily routine for the Airedale is a minimum of two solid walks per day plus a good romp in our wonderful leash- free park. We are also lucky enough to have a house at Sorrento which we holiday at and visit at weekends. Whilst there, we make good use of the leash- free beach at Cameron’s Bight, Blairgowrie. We think a Water Dog would be a good fit with us and would happily commit to the training and raw food diet requirements. I would be grateful if you would contact me by email to let me know if we could come for a visit. Thanks, Chris

  5. Chris Mulcahy

    Hi Blue Grace Team,

    I’m massively excited to find your website. I’m very ready for a dog and everything I’ve read about the Portuguese Water Dog Breed makes me think we’re right for each other.

    Great to hear you have pups on the way. If you happen to have the arrival of a brown and white one, we could be really good pals.

    Id love to come visit you and learn more in person.

    Cheers,

    Chris

    • Jane

      Hi Chris,

      There’s about 50 different things we’re looking at when we breed. Colour is one of the 50. so about 2% of the total package basically. We focus on health, temperament and structure well before colour. Sorry I can’t help,

      Jane

  6. Monica zumFelde

    Jane…I ran across your site …not sure how I got here, but very glad I did! I just wanted to say thank you for all of your thoughts and advice. Although I am based in the USA, I am taking your advice to heart and practice. I will be looking for a breeder closer to home, but if you happen to have any leads (folks you may have networked with and respect), I would very much appreciate that. Thank you again and continued great work! I will be reading for sure! :)

Leave a Reply